IKEA is pondering a plan to launch an e-commerce platform that would sell furniture from other brands and retailers. The retailer is also talking with Amazon, Alibaba and other third-party marketplaces about opportunities to sell its branded goods on their platforms.

Toyota continues to expand its use of the Toyota Production System and is likely to incorporate agile principles, says Toyota Connected agile chief Nigel Thurlow. "One of the key values from the agile manifesto is responding to change over following a plan," he says.

The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities this year will begin exploring plans to test strategies to embed industry certifications into four-year degrees, a practice already in place at some community colleges. Currently, such practices are a patchwork and the Lumina Foundation is committing funds to study outcomes of blending certifications and degrees.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has proposed allowing a wider range of companies to use the "test-the-waters" process, which lets prospective stock issuers discuss offerings with likely investors before bringing a deal to market. The process bars companies with more than $1 billion in yearly revenue.

PCC added Community Markets to its name to emphasize its co-op status and to remind shoppers of its local focus, says CEO Cate Hardy. "We're owned by the people who shop with us every day and it just gives us a lot of latitude and freedom to pursue our triple bottom line of financial, social and environmental commitment in a way that reflects what our shoppers value," Hardy says.

HIMSS polled 269 health IT leaders in the US and found that security, cybersecurity and privacy are the top concerns among hospital IT leaders, followed by improving quality outcomes; clinician engagement and clinical informatics; process improvement, workflow and change management; and care coordination and culture of care. Researchers also found that the expanding role of information security leaders on hospital IT leadership teams could create internal tensions.

ABC has sold all of the ad space available for this year's Oscars, with some 30-second spots reportedly costing $2.6 million. The network has allowed Marriott International to run the first-ever ad "pod" during the event, which features the brand taking over a full 90-second commercial break with two spots.

Negotiators for the US and China are drafting documents that could become the foundation for a trade agreement, sources say. Memorandums of understanding reportedly are being drafted on intellectual property rights, services, forced technology transfer, cybertheft, currency, agriculture and nontariff barriers to trade.

Samsung Electronics has unveiled its latest lineup of Galaxy S10 smartphones, with new features that include several rear cameras and fingerprint sensors in two of the models' screens. The four handsets -- the new budget S10e, the S10 and the S10+ -- range in price from $750 to $1,000, and Samsung has also previewed a 5G-capable device that Verizon will be the first to launch in the second quarter.

Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., has introduced legislation that would allow patients, pharmacists and wholesalers to import cheaper insulin from Canada and other countries with similar safety standards as the US. Under the bill, patients would still need prescriptions to purchase the insulin, while the FDA would be required to certify and inspect all foreign insulin exporters.

Verizon has tapped CEO Hans Vestberg to become its board chairman as of March 8, replacing Lowell McAdam, who will retire after having served seven years in the position but will stay on the board until the May 2 shareholders' meeting. The company also named former Darden Restaurants CEO Clarence Otis as lead director.

US homebuilder sentiment reached its highest point in four months during February, according to the National Association of Home Builders. One of the biggest challenges facing the home construction and remodeling businesses right now is a lack of young labor entering the industry, said National Kitchen & Bath Association CEO Bill Darcy.

The Florida 1st District Court of Appeal's decision earlier this month ordering the state to allow Kanter Real Estate to drill in the Everglades has unsettled some experts and government officials, who fear the project threatens the water supply as well as the area's fragile ecosystem. Since 1988, not a single oil well field has been developed in Florida, which produces a tiny fraction of what states such as Texas and North Dakota bring to the surface annually.

Opportunity, one of NASA's Mars rovers, has been silent since June, and after sending one last call to the robot Tuesday with no response, NASA says Opportunity is dead. The rover had been working on Mars since 2004, even though its original mission was intended to last three months.

Alaska Airlines on Tuesday launched new flights linking Texas' El Paso International Airport with California's San Diego International Airport and Washington's Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The flights are operated with Embraer E175 jets configured with three-class cabins.